Bone Plate

ABSTRACT

A bone plate has an underside on the side of the bone, an upper side and a plurality of holes in the plate connecting the underside with the upper side, with a central hole axis. At least one of these holes in the plate has an internal jacket surface that tapers towards the underside, while the internal jacket surface has N≧3 recesses which extend radially away from the axis of the hole.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/505,625 filed Oct. 3, 2014, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/795,596, filed Mar. 12, 2013, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,876,873 issued Nov. 4, 2014, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/713,626, filed Dec. 13, 2012, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,845,698, issued Sep. 30, 2014, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/361,942, filed Feb. 24, 2006, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,343,196, issued on Jan. 1, 2013, which is a continuation of International Patent Application No. PCT/CH2003/000577, filed Aug. 26, 2003, the entire contents of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference thereto.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a bone plate for use in repairing bone fractures.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Bone plates are known in the art and may be indicated for the entire skeleton. Particularly significant are, however, the usual large and small fragment indications for surgically treating bone breakages.

From DE-A 198 32 513 a bone plate of the generic type is known. In the case of this known device, the angular alignment of the bone screws relative to the bone plate and their angularly stable fixing is achieved by a ring arranged between the head of the screw and the hole in the plate. A disadvantage of this construction is, on the one hand, the more expensive manufacture with an additional component (ring) and the danger that the tiny ring will fall out or be pushed out from the hole in the plate, thus making the device unusable, and, on the other hand, the more expensive OP technique because the axis of the ring has to be correspondingly aligned before inserting the screw.

The present invention seeks to remedy this problem. The object of the invention is to produce a bone plate, without the need for additional components, that can accommodate conventional locking capscrews in an angularly and axially stable manner.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention achieves this objective with a bone plate having an upper surface, a lower surface, and at least one hole extending from the upper surface to the lower surface, the at least one hole having a central hole axis and an internal jacket surface. The internal jacket surface includes N recesses extending radially away from the central axis, where N≧3. The internal jacket surface may also include surface projections on at least a portion of the internal jacket surface.

The advantage achieved by the invention is essentially that as a result of the bone plate according to the invention a bone screw can be introduced at an angle that is different from the specified axis of the hole (usually at right angles to the plane of the bone plate) and secured in this position, without significantly sacrificing the stability, as is the case in known devices.

By virtue of the at least three recesses in the internal jacket surface of the holes in the plate, centralizing bearing surfaces are produced for the capscrew, even when the bone screw is inclined, and the bearing surfaces result in an even distribution of the load. In the case of bone screws with a threaded head and holes in the plate with an inner thread, when the screw is inclined, the threaded head can “jump over” the pitches of the thread in the hole of the plate interrupted by the recesses, without “cutting through” them.

A further advantage of the bone plate according to the invention is the possibility to use the at least three recesses in the hole in the plate to guide drilling bushings or guide bushings, by which the bone screws can be guided during their insertion. In this case the drilling bushings or guide bushings no longer need to be screwed into the holes in the plate (as is the case in the state-of-the-art), but due to the recesses need only to be inserted into the holes in the plate, resulting in a simple manner in the centre and direction of the axis of the hole. All that is required for this purpose is that the tips of the cannulated drilling bushings or guide bushings need to have the negative geometry of the holes in the plate, without any thread or other, similarly acting, structures. A snap-in mechanism may possibly be used in conjunction.

In one particular embodiment, the internal jacket surface of the hole in the plate is provided with a three-dimensional structure, which serves the purpose of guiding of a correspondingly structured capscrew. The three-dimensional structure is macroscopic and preferably comprises partial or complete pitches of a thread, ribs or protuberations. The internal jacket surface may be a multi-start thread.

The geometry of the surface of the N “locking leg”, formed by the N recesses, is advantageously constructed to facilitate compatibility with the bone screw to be introduced. This can be in the form of a classic helical thread, a thread-like shape with or without pitch or also only a certain number of grooves or ribs, or also a quasi-thread with or without pitch. The number of grooves or ribs is preferably always odd (e.g. 3, 5, 7 or 9).

The internal jacket surface can have a concave, preferably spherical, tapered or ellipsoidal shape. This shape facilitates the insertion of a bone screw in such a manner that at the first contact of the bone screw with the internal jacket surface the bone screw is automatically pulled into the hole in the plate, without exerting prior a compression force on the bone via the bone plate, as is partly the case with devices known in the art.

In the case of a further development, at least one of the holes in the plate is constructed as an oblong hole.

The N recesses are arranged at a distance of 360°/N relative to the central axis. The recesses preferably have a peripheral expansion of at least 1° and a maximum of 119°. At the same time the N recesses divide the internal jacket surface into N sections of the jacket surface.

In the case of a particular embodiment the recesses extend exclusively within the internal jacket surface. In the case of another embodiment, the recesses extend radially away from the axis of the hole past the internal jacket surface.

The recesses may extend cylindrically or tapered from the upper side to the underside. The advantage of this is, that the recesses can be used for the fixing of a drilling bushing for pre-drilling or for the insertion of the Kirschner wires. Thus the drilling bushing no longer has to be screwed into the hole in the plate, only to be inserted without damaging the bearing area for the screw.

The recesses can extend from the upper side to the underside over the entire height of the bone plate.

The bone plate can be made from steel or titanium or also from a plastic material. In the case of plastic plates from polyacryl etherketone (PEAK) or polyether etherketone (PEEK) with an elongation at break of 40-70% and a modulus of elasticity of 3000-6000 N/mm² are preferred. However, polysulphon, having an elongation at break of 80-120% and a modulus of elasticity of 2000-3500 N/mm² may also be used. Furthermore, liquid crystal polymer (LCP) having an elongation at break of 1.5-2.5% and a modulus of elasticity of 5000-20000 N/mm² may be suitable. Finally, polyoxymethylene (POM) with an elongation at break of 10-50% and a modulus of elasticity of 2000-3500 N/mm² and polyphenylene sulphide (PPS) having an elongation at break of 0.2-1.0% and a modulus of elasticity of 12000-20000 N/mm² may be used.

Bone plates from plastic material may be reinforced with metal, plastic or carbon fibres.

Various bone screws can be used with the bone plates. For example, those having a convex, preferably spherical or tapered head portion. The head portion of the bone screws may also have a three-dimensional structure. In the case of a special embodiment the head portion of the bone screw is made from a material that is harder than the internal jacket surface of the bone plate. The internal jacket surface of the bone plate and the head portion of the bone screw have preferably matching threads.

In the case of a plastic plate, the holes in the plate may be executed as metallic thread inserts. Conversely, in the case of a metal bone plate the holes in the plate are executed as polymer thread inserts.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention and developments of the invention are explained in detail based on the partly schematic illustrations of several embodiments in the figures, wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a longitudinal section through a bone plate with tapered holes in the plate;

FIG. 2 shows a longitudinal section through a bone plate with spherical holes in the plate;

FIG. 3 shows a top view of a bone plate with three recesses in the internal jacket surface of the holes in the plate;

FIG. 4 shows a variation of the bone plate according to FIG. 3 with larger recesses in the internal jacket surface of the holes in the plate;

FIG. 5 shows a top view of a bone plate with thread inserts with four recesses in the internal jacket surface of the elliptic holes in the plate;

FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of a bone plate according to FIG. 1 from above with the bone screws inserted;

FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of a bone plate according to FIG. 1 from below with the bone screws inserted;

FIG. 8 shows a longitudinal section through a bone plate with a bone screw inserted without angular misalignment; and

FIG. 9 shows a longitudinal section through a bone plate with a bone screw inserted with angular misalignment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The bone plate 1 illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3 has an underside 2 on the side of the bone, an upper side 8 and a plurality of holes 3 in the plate connecting the underside 2 with the upper side 8, the holes having a central hole axis 5. The holes 3 in the plate have an internal jacket surface 4 that tapers towards the underside 2. Furthermore, the internal jacket surface 4 has three recesses 6 which extend radially away from the hole axis 5 of the hole at a uniform distance of 120° from one another. Their peripheral expansion is approximately 40° and they extend exclusively within the internal jacket surface 4. The recesses 6 extend tapered over the entire height of the bone plate 1 from the upper side 8 to the underside 2. In addition, the internal jacket surface 4 is provided with a three-dimensional structure 7 in the form of a thread.

FIG. 4 illustrates a variation of the execution according to FIG. 3, wherein the recesses extend radially away from the axis of the hole past the internal jacket surface.

FIGS. 2 and 5 illustrate a further alternative embodiment, wherein the holes 3 in the plate are constructed as oblong holes. The bone plate is made basically from a plastic material (PEEK) with embedded metallic thread inserts 9 from titanium, forming the holes 3 in the plate. In the case of this embodiment the holes 3 in the plate have four recesses 6, which extend radially away from the axis 5 of the hole past the internal jacket surface 4. The internal jacket surface 4 is divided into four sections of the jacket surface. The recesses extend tapered over the entire height of the bone plate 1 from the upper side 8 to the underside 2. In addition, the internal jacket surface 4 is provided with a three-dimensional structure 7 in the form of a multi-start thread. As far as material is concerned, this embodiment may also be inverted, whereby the bone plate is basically made from metal (titanium) and the embedded therein thread inserts 9 are made from plastic material (PEEK), forming the holes 3 in the plate.

FIG. 6 illustrates the bone plate according to FIG. 1, with bone screws 10 inserted from above, the head portions 11 of which are spherical. FIG. 7 shows the same bone plate 1 from below.

In FIG. 8, a bone plate 1 is illustrated with bone screws 10 inserted therein without angular misalignment. The internal jacket surface 4 of the hole of the bone plate 1 and the head portion 11 of the bone screw 10 have matching threads 13.

FIG. 9 illustrates the same variation as FIG. 8, while the bone screw 10 is angularly misaligned.

While the present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that numerous variations and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Accordingly, it should be clearly understood that the embodiments of the invention described above are not intended as limitations on the scope of the invention, which is defined only by the following claims. 

1. (canceled)
 2. A bone plate system comprising: a bone plate including a lower surface configured to face bone, an upper surface opposite the lower surface, and a threaded inner surface that defines a hole that extends along a central hole axis from the upper surface to the lower surface, the lower surface defining a lower opening of the hole, and the upper surface defining an upper opening of the hole; and a bone screw that is elongate along a central screw axis, the bone screw including a threaded head, wherein the threaded head is configured to engage with the bone plate such that: 1) the central screw axis defines a select angle with respect to the central hole axis, the angle being selected from a plurality of different angles defined by the central screw axis and the central hole axis, 2) the threaded head threadedly mates with the threaded inner surface, and 3) the threaded inner surface and the threaded head cooperate to define a gap that extends along a straight path from the upper opening to the lower opening without intersecting either of the bone plate and the bone screw, wherein the plurality of different angles define angles at which the threaded head is configured to threadedly mate with the threaded inner surface.
 3. The bone plate system of claim 2, wherein the threaded head is configured to engage with the bone plate such that the threaded inner surface and the threaded head cooperate to define a plurality of gaps that each extend along a straight path from the upper opening to the lower opening without intersecting either of the bone plate and the bone screw.
 4. The bone plate system of claim 3, wherein each of the plurality of gaps are evenly spaced about the central hole axis.
 5. The bone plate system of claim 3, wherein the threaded inner surface and the threaded head threadedly mate with each other between adjacent ones of the plurality of gaps.
 6. The bone plate system of claim 2, wherein the upper opening defines a first cross-sectional dimension measured in a first plane that is perpendicular to the central hole axis, the lower opening defines a second cross-sectional dimension measured in a second plane that is perpendicular to the central hole axis, and the first cross-sectional dimension is greater than the second cross-sectional dimension.
 7. A bone plate comprising: a lower surface configured to face a bone; an upper surface facing opposite the lower surface along a transverse direction; an inner surface that extends from the upper surface to the lower surface, wherein the inner surface defines at least one hole that extends from the upper surface to the lower surface along a central axis, wherein the inner surface defines a plurality of regions and a recess that extends through the upper surface of the bone plate along the transverse direction at a location circumferentially between the regions; and a thread that projects from the inner surface toward the central axis, such that the thread is configured to mate with a threaded head of a bone screw as the bone fixation element is rotationally inserted through the at least one hole at a user selected angle within a permitted range of angles relative to the central axis whereby the thread is configured to mate with the threaded head of the bone screw, wherein the recess extends in a direction radially away from the central axis with respect to the regions, such that the inner surface at the recess is spaced from the central axis a first distance measured along a direction perpendicular to the central axis, and the inner surface at the regions is spaced from the central axis less than the first distance as measured along a direction perpendicular to the central axis.
 8. The bone plate of claim 7, wherein the first portion and the second portion are both located within a plane that is perpendicular to the central axis.
 9. The bone plate of claim 7, wherein the recess extends from the upper surface to the lower surface.
 10. The bone plate of claim 7, wherein the recess is one of a plurality of recesses defined by the inner surface.
 11. The bone plate of claim 10, wherein each of the plurality of recesses defines a shape that is a portion of a cylinder with a respective center.
 12. The bone plate of claim 11, wherein the centers of the plurality of recesses are evenly spaced about the central axis.
 13. A bone plate comprising: a body having a lower surface configured to face bone, an upper surface opposite the lower surface, wherein the body defines an opening that extends from the upper surface to the lower surface in a first direction along a central opening axis; and an insert supported by the body in the opening, wherein the insert defines a threaded inner surface that defines a hole that extends through the insert, wherein the bone plate is configured to receive a bone fixation element in the hole such that the threaded inner surface threadedly mates with a threaded head of a bone fixation element as the bone fixation element is rotationally inserted through the at least one hole at a user selected angle within a permitted range of angles relative to the central opening axis whereby the threaded inner surface is configured to threadedly mate with the threaded head.
 14. The bone plate of claim 13, wherein the body comprises an inner body surface that defines the opening, the inner body surface is curved from the upper surface to the lower surface, and the inner body surface engages an outer surface of the insert so as to support the insert in the opening.
 15. The bone plate of claim 14, wherein the inner body surface defines opposed portions that face each other, are concave with respect to each other, and are opposite each other with respect to the central opening axis.
 16. The bone plate of claim 13, wherein the body includes a first material, and the insert includes a second material that is different than the first material.
 17. A bone plate system comprising: the bone plate of claim 13; and a bone screw that is elongate along a central screw axis, the bone screw including a head portion and a shaft portion that extends from the head portion, wherein the head portion defines a second plurality of threads, wherein the bone screw is configured to be is inserted into the hole in a first orientation such that 1) the central screw axis is at a first angle with respect to the central opening axis, 2) the second plurality of threads mate with the first plurality of threads, and 3) the shaft extends out with respect to the lower surface in the first direction, and the bone screw is configured to be is inserted into the hole in a second orientation such that 1) the central screw axis is at a second angle with respect to the central opening axis, the second angle being different than the first angle, 2) the second plurality of threads mate with the first plurality of threads, and 3) the shaft extends out with respect to the lower surface in the first direction.
 18. The bone plate system of claim 17, wherein the body comprises an inner body surface that defines the opening, the inner body surface is curved from the upper surface to the lower surface, and the inner body surface engages an outer surface of the insert so as to support the insert in the opening.
 19. The bone plate system of claim 18, wherein the inner body surface defines opposed portions that: 1) face each other, 2) are concave with respect to each other, and 3) are opposite each other with respect to the central opening axis.
 20. The bone plate system of claim 17, wherein the head portion is configured to engage with the insert such that the inner surface and the head portion cooperate to define a gap that extends along a straight path from the upper opening to the lower opening without intersecting either of the bone plate and the bone screw.
 21. The bone plate system of claim 20, wherein the inner surface is configured to engage with the head portion such that the inner surface and the head portion cooperate to define a plurality of gaps that each extend along a straight path from the upper opening to the lower opening without intersecting either of the bone plate and the bone screw. 